Zingarian
Overview Once the proud possessor of a major shipping industry, Zingara is an exotic land that exists between the Pictish Wilderness, the Bossonian Marches, Aquilonia and Argos. Although often thought of merely as Argos’ maritime rival, Zingara has in the past been a land of agriculture and elegance. Zingarans have concepts of honour and allegiance much like those of the Aquilonians. Zingara is now a land torn apart and ruined by civil war. Historically a king ruled the land out of Kordava but the elegant, bejewelled and hosed princelings and nobles, who usually fought petty battles among themselves and the Poitanians, rose up and destroyed themselves and their noble kingdom in flame and blood. The refined swordsmanship of the Zingarans had unfortunately turned against itself. Now the kingdom is faltering, unable to support itself due to burnt and salted fields, destroyed armies and crushed castles. The ghouls of the central region have begun to prowl all over the region, even in the north, toward the Poitanian border. Culture (Note: They have a very diverse culture, with many aspects, so I'll include them all in this section). Manners and pleasures in Zingara were elements of its elegance and sophistication. Ballet troupes learned the finest dances in the schools and the fine art of fencing was taught to all noblemen. Waving scented handkerchiefs, the nobility of Zingara plotted and conspired against fellow nobles even as they spoke eloquently of philosophy and civility. In Zingara’s prime, Zingaran swordsmanship was taught in both formal fencing-schools and the deadly backstreets of every city, though many Zingarans learned to use only the civilian arming sword, rather than the more militaryoriented broadsword. The Zingarans developed Zingara Chivalry, Conspiracy and Treason It was an unquiet land through which he rode. The companies of cavalry which usually patrolled the river alert for raids out of Poitain, were nowhere in evidence. Internal strife had left the borders unguarded. The lone white road stretched from horizon to horizon. No laden camel trains or rumbling wagons or lowing herd moved along it now; only occasional groups of horsemen in leather and steel, hawk-faced, hard-eyed men, who kept together and rode warily. These swept Conan’s with their searching gaze but rode on, for the solitary rider’s harness promised no plunder, but only hard strokes. Villages lay in ashes and deserted, the fields and meadows idle. Only the boldest would ride the roads these days, and the native population had been decimated by the civil wars and by raids from across the river. In peaceful times the road was thronged with merchants riding from Poitain to Messantia in Argos, or back. But now these found it wiser to follow the road that led through Poitain, and then turned south down across Argos. It was longer, but safer. Only an extremely reckless man would risk his life and goods on this road through Zingara. The southern horizon was fringed with flame by night, and in the day straggling pillars of smoke drifted upward; in the cities and plains to the south men were dying, thrones were toppling and castles going up in flames. – The Hour of the Dragon 249 Zingara one of the most sophisticated forms of elite fencing ever created, a sheer art form to behold. Many of these fencing schools may still survive and those that have burned are slowly being rebuilt. Many feel that these schools, which also taught principles of chivalry, are essential to the rebuilding of Zingara, to keep it from sliding backwards into barbarism. All they need is a strong king… Turan is remarked by its imperialistic expansionist policies. Aquilonia’s nobility are greedy for land and wealth, willing to take them from Nemedia, the Pictish Wilderness, Cimmeria or anywhere else. Ophir hungers for Aquilonian soil. Koth wants to retake Khauran and Khoraja. Stygia slumbers with barely restrained hostility, remembering the glory days of the empire it threatens to restore. Zingara, however, desires no colonies, desires no new lands. They are a civilised people and they have what they have. Trying to lord over lands that are possibly hostile to invaders is a stress Zingara chooses not to bear. Instead, they seek commercial domination of the sea for their growth and wealth and continued independence. A Zingaran usually only leaves Zingara by force, be it force of arms or force of circumstance. (Note: Zingarans love Pig.) Marriage Aristocratic and noble marriages in Zingara are arranged by the fathers of young girls and the girls usually know nothing of their intended husbands other than their titles, position and connections. The betrothal is a formal arrangement lasting only a few months, allowing the intended pair a few stiff and brief visits supervised by the parents to ensure the daughter’s continued chastity. Affection in a marriage is considered irrelevant by the parents. Against popular custom, the Mitraic religion fights for the rights of a couple to choose their own spouses. Ultimately there are two principal events of any marriage: the betrothal and the wedding. The betrothal is a promise to marry in the future, whereupon a contract for the brideprice is given, rings are exchanged and the whole affair is sealed with a betrothal kiss; the wedding is an agreement that both parties are now married. For the marriage, the bride and her attendants are brought to the temple on horses provided by the groom. At the temple, the priests chant and pray, blessing the union. Again, the contract is sealed with a kiss. The newlyweds are forbidden to enjoy each other for at least one night following the wedding. Some localities enforce a three day wait after the wedding, a ritual of purity for the Zingarans. The couple enjoys a procession through town and the town feasts, sports and celebrates, often for days. Zingara It is unlawful in Zingara for a woman to be forced to marry against her or her parents’ wishes. A maiden daughter is required to have parental or guardian consent to marry, lest a hefty fine be levied against her. A widow is independent, however and requires no one’s consent (unless she owes Allegiance to a lord, who always has a final say over who marries his female tenants) but she can be fined if she is deemed to marry too quickly after the death of her former husband. Marriage to an older woman is deemed contrary to natural law in Zingara and is thought to lead to deformed children, so this is prohibited in all but the most extraordinary of circumstances. A particularly Zingaran temptress is the procuress. Access to the most desirable Zingaran women is limited and difficult, so the procuress provides an essential service. This temptress is skilled at third-party seduction on behalf of men wanting to meet women beyond their social and legal means. She evades the guardians of a woman’s chastity and brings about desired clandestine meetings with the man, using disguises such as physician, peddler, hairdresser, tutor and other such persons that might be admitted to a woman’s presence as pretext to visit the woman in her house. The procuress also knows where women gather and may meet a targeted woman there. Parents and husbands, although they may find out about the man, are rarely able to get their hands on the procuress. If they can, she may find herself flogged, enslaved, banished, fined or even burned at the stake. Typically, if she successfully snares an unattached girl or widow, she is fined one quarter of her goods. If she snares a wife or betrothed woman, she is given the death penalty. If her plot is discovered before the unchaste rendezvous occurs, she (and all that she owns) is placed at the mercy of the father, husband or betrothed of her target; they are not allowed to kill her, so they usually enslave her or drive her out of town. Clothing Zingarans try to dress well. Trunk-hose and doublets of silk with puffed and slit sleeves are common for the men. Cloaks hang from their shoulders. Boots of the finest Kordavan leather adorn their feet. Soldiers dress in steel and satin. Armour and garments are always ornate and made of the best material that can be afforded, stolen or made. Thin black moustaches are also common. Royal soldiers dress in burgundy and gold. Red and yellow are considered lucky colours. The wealthy tend to dress brightly while the commoners wear more subdued tones. Unmarried women wear their hair long; married women bundle their hair into coifs or hair bands. Trade and Economy Zingara’s primary export is probably tin, which is essential for the making of bronze. The mountains of this proud land are mined for tin, a rare commodity in any land but readily found here. Their once great plantations yielded crops of grapes, sugar, tobacco and grain. Black serfs were brought in to work these vast plantations of southern Zingara, labouring under the whips of cruel slave-masters hungry for wealth and prestige. No more. Most of those fields are gone, burnt by the civil wars that raged from one end of Zingara to the other. From the grapes, highly regarded Zingaran wines were once distilled. Even this industry has come to a crashing halt in recent years. In addition to the agricultural products produced in the fertile southlands, leather was another staple product from the Zingarans. This industry proceeds even today.